Denny Crane
Denny is a founding partner (and was chief rainmaker) of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, along with Shirley Schmidt and Edwin M. Poole. In his prime, he was a legendary litigator; his reputation amongst lawyers is long and fabled, and Denny himself insists he is the greatest lawyer in history and has never lost a case, stating that his record is 6,043-0. ("Loose Lips") This record is debatable, however, as Denny shifts the blame away from himself in lost cases he was involved with, saying that it was, in fact, his colleague who lost, not him. Paul Lewiston once observed that Denny is like Muhammad Ali late in his career, relying more on his past reputation than his current skills. =Denny's Relationships with Others= Alan Shore as flamingos]] Denny and Alan Shore are close friends, despite their great political differences. Episodes almost always end with a scene of the two enjoying a cigar and a glass of Scotch on the balcony of the law firm talking over events that had happened in the episode. Denny refers to this as their "special time" and takes it seriously enough to break off a marriage proposal because it would prevent him from spending time with Alan. Alan once said, "I'm proud of you Denny...I always am." During the final episode of Boston Legal, Denny Crane proposes marriage to Alan Shore as a way of ensuring that his property, confidential conversations and friendship are protected. Alan reluctantly agrees and are married by a Supreme Court judge along with Shirley and her fiancé Carl at a fishing lodge. Shirley Schmidt Denny and fellow senior and founding partner Shirley Schmidt had a brief relationship many years ago, although she refers to this as a bet to sleep with him that she lost. He once claimed that he had a threesome with Shirley and Barbra Streisand; Shirley then told him that she had hired a male Barbra Streisand impersonator. Denny frequently interprets seemingly meaningless friendly talk between them as sexual moves, and often makes advances to sleep with her. He also has a life-size doll in the likeness of Shirley which he dubbed "Shirley Schmidt-ho." Denny's Father Denny reveals in the episode "Live Big" that he euthanized his demented father ("The man with the brain of a two year-old") by pressuring the supervising doctor to increase his patient's morphine dose ("We put him out of our misery," Denny tells Alan). In the third season episode "Son of the Defender," Denny says he learned everything he knows about the law from his father. When he began practicing in 1957, Denny and his father practiced together. However, the elder Crane did not approve of Denny's reliance on deceit and manipulation to win his cases. When Denny relied on a stunt to acquit a man his father thought was guilty, his father said, "I thought it would be a good life for you, but now I don't know. We don't think alike, you and I. I don't really know you." Years later, when the son of the victim in the same case sought revenge on Denny, the memories of his father's disapproval brought an obvious sadness upon Denny. Upon the result of this case in 1957, Denny said, "My father...he disowned me." Donny Crane Another lawyer, Donny Crane, was believed to be Denny's illegitimate son, the product of an affair with an anonymous woman. Denny, however, confessed to Alan that when Donny's mother slapped him with a paternity suit, he settled, and Donny's mother later admitted that Denny wasn't the father. It was by overhearing this conversation Donny learned Denny didn't sire him. Many jokes were made about the closeness of Donny and Denny's names. Just like Denny, Donny used his own name as an exclamation at inappropriate times. However, as the show has evolved, Denny has made it clear to Donny that although he may not have sired Donny, he regards Donny as his son. =Denny's Pesonality= Guns Category:Main Partners Category:Republicans Category:Crane, Poole, & Schmidt Category:Litigation Category:Partners Category:Characters Category:Former Military